Tracker-board for mechanical musical instruments.



'PATENTED DEC. 11, 1906.

. H.P.BALL.I TRACKER BOARD FOR MECHANICAL MUSIGAL INSTRUMENTS.

APPLICATION FILED AUG.-l8, 1902.

//v VEN 70/; 77 (3 2/66 5') zrfwhz awwog A IZO/fNf r I widths.

' the UNITED snares ii? -TEhlT @hi ifiihli HENRY PRICE BALL, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSiGNQR OF GEE-HALF TU SAMUEL INSULL, OF CHICAGO, iLLlNGlS.

Y No. 837,910.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented'ifecfl Ill, 1906.

Application filed August 18,1902. Serial No. 119,987.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, HENRY Pinon BALL, a citizen of the United States, residing at New York city, county and State of New York, have invented certain-new and useful Imrovements in Tracker-Boards for Mechan ical Musical Instruments, of which the following is a specification.

Mechanical musical instruments of the pianola class employ tracker-boards of diilerent This involves the employment of a music-sheet having a Width corresponding to that of the tracker board with which it is to be used. This condition is objectionable in that all musical compositions are not produced in rolls of diilerent widths, and consequently it may happen that a particular composition cannot be obtained of the desired width.

To overcome the objections stated, I have devised a removable and adjustable trackerboard of definite width, which may be applied to the fixed tracker-board of any in strument, the object of my invention being to provide ineans whereby music-sheets of a given Width can be used on any mechanical musical instrument. 1

The accompanying drawings will serve to illustrate my invention.

Figure 1 is a transverse vertical section through a portion of a mechanical musical ins'trument, such as a pianola, for operating piano and shows the removable and adjust ble tracker-board in position. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section through the fixed and removable tracker-boards and frame of the instrument on the line X X of Fig. 3. Fig. 3

is a plan view of the instrument and music sheet with the top removed.

' In the drawings, A indicates the usual tracker-board, provided with a series of vertical airducts B, the air-ducts on the extreme ends of the tracker-board being at a definite distance from each other.

C indicates a removable and adjustable tracker-board mounted over the fixed tracker- I board A and secured toit in an air-tight rela- 5o iii his tracker-board has formed in it a series tion and in any suitable manneras, for instance, by means of the spring-clamps D.

of air-ducts E, which correspond as to distance and position at their lower ends with the air-ducts B in the tracker-board A, but which at their upper ends while having air-ducts of be used.

the same diameter have the air-ducts at the extreme ends at a less distance apart than is the case with the air-ducts B. The trackerboard 0 is made of slightly less width than the case F of the instrument or the width of the tracker-board A, which permits it to be adjusted laterally, so as to insure registering of the air-ducts B E.

I In order to secure an air-tight joint between the fined tracker board A and the removable tracker-board C, I. secure to the lower surface of the removable tracker-board a cushion, of felt, rubber, or other compressible material G, which covers the whole lower surface, except the part occupied by the ducts E.

H represents the usual perforated musicsheet, adapted to be moved over the tracl erboard 0 and having the perforations i. This paper is unwound from roller J onto roller K. The roller K may be the usual take-up roller of the instrument. The roller J, on the other hand, commonly corresponds in width with the music sheet and is commercially sold with it. f The roller J is provided with nipples L M but as this roller isless in width than the roller designed to be used. in an instrument having a fixed tracker-board of the width of A it is nieppssary to provide supplemental nipples l To guide the music-sheet ever the removable and adjustable tracker-board in order that the perforations in a music-sheet shall register accurately with the air-ducts E in the tradkerboard 0, I provide the adjustable guides P. j

in the drawings I have shown a removable tracker-board as adapted for use on an instrument having a relatively wider fixed trackerboard. Manifestly the removable trackerboard could be wider than the fixed tracker board or' the instrument with which it is to It is my intention to provide tracker-b0ards having a definite width at the top and any desired Width at the bottom, so that the tracker-board may be adapted for any instrument.

Having thus claim 1 In combination with a tracker-board of a mechanical musical instrument having defrnitelv-spaced air-ducts, a second removable traclier-board of different width having its air-ducts di'tierentljr spaced from those of the first-named tracker-board and arranged to cooperate therewith.

2. In combination with a tracker-board of a mechanical musical instrument, a second removable tracker-board provided with airducts which register with those of the firstnamed tracker-board, said air-ducts differpntly spaced apart at their orifices and out ets.

- In combination with a tracker-board of a mechanical musical instrument having a series of air-ducts of definite distance between centers, of a removable tre. ckcr-bom'd having air-ducts whose inlet-orifices diii'er to distance between centers from the inlet-orifice of the air-ducts of the first-named trackerboard. i

4. In combination with the trackenboard of a mechanical musical instrument having a series of air-ducts, a music-roll whose perforations do not register with the air-ducts of the tracker-board, and means interposed between the two, whereby the perforations in said music-roll may be brought into opera tive relation with the airducts oi the trackerboard. I i

5. In a mechanical musical instrument and in combination with a fixed trackerboard of definite Width, a-removable registering tracker-board of less Width.

6. A mechanical musical instrument having a fixed tracker-board. with air-ducts a de'linite distance apart, and a supplemental tracker-board having air-ducts at a definite but diil eien't distance apart.

7. In an automatic playing"- attachment for musical instruments, the combination with the permanent tracker-bar of a detachable tracker-bar, with perforations adapted to register with the perforations in said permanent'bar and to register with perforations in a music-sheet other than that for which the said permanent tracker-bar is constructed. 8. In combination with the tracker-board of a mechanical musical instrument, a second superposed removable tracker-board having its central air-duct vertical and the ducts'on each side thereof disposed at varying angles. 9. A mechanical musical instrument provided with two tracker-boards, one fixed to the instrument and the other removably secured in a fixed relziion to the first-named tracker-board, the said tracker-boards having the upper ends of their sir-duets (lifterently spaced between centers, and With the lower ends of the ducts of the removable tracker-board spaced to cooperate with the upper ends of the ducts of the fixed i recherboard.

10. In ciinnbination wii h' the tr.;cl er-board of mechanical musical instrument, a second superposed removable trr :ker-board having the upper ends of its :lIF-(lLlGtS differently spaced between centers from those of the first tracker-board.

11. in. combination with a tracker-board of a mechanical musical instrument having definitely-spaced air-ducts, a second superposed ren'iovable iI'nCl GI-l)0f11(l having the upper ends of its air-ducts diilerentl v spaced from those of the first-named tracker-board.

In testimony whereof I alliX my signature in the presence of two witnesses. HENRY PRICE BALL.

Witnesses:

N. B. Gowns, Louis NINTNER. 

